


A Heart In There Somewhere

by FoxRabbit92



Category: Zootopia (2016)
Genre: Ben starts off skinny, Dont worry he'll gain weight over time, F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-01
Updated: 2017-03-01
Packaged: 2018-09-27 19:22:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,298
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10041293
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FoxRabbit92/pseuds/FoxRabbit92
Summary: There is a lot that mammals don’t know about Bogo. He is one of precinct one’s greatest mysteries. Never does he talk about his personal life. The only person who has a clue is Clawhauser and you would be surprised by the reason why.Perhaps it is best we go to the beginning, because only then can his secrets be properly revealed.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This story begins years before the movie time period, but will eventually end during or just barely after it. There will likely be a sequel after this story.

A sigh came from the cape buffalo's lips after taking a sip of his tea. Work was particularly rough that morning, so when he finally managed to get a lunch break he savored it. He and his partner, Clawhauser, had been dealing with nasty motorist since they left the precinct. It was one of those days.

His ears perked when a bummed voice interrupted his thoughts. "Are motorists always this cranky?" Clawhauser asked.

Bogo put his cup down. "Usually. You'll need to get used it. You can't be crying and boowooing each time someone is mean to you," he said bluntly.

The cheetah crossed his arms and huffed. "I don't cry. I just have expressive eyes.... Super expressive eyes."

Clawhauser hadn't been on the force long. He had only been there about week. The chief thought it was a good idea to pair him off with Bogo, who had already been there for three years. The two were polar opposites, so he was hoping that they'd balance each other out. It was also a preference of his to temporarily pair rookies with more experienced officers. It minimized trouble and the rookies learned faster that way.

Bogo came off rough at times, but if you spent enough time with him you would soon find a soft center to him. Clawhauser just hadn't seen it yet.

The two went back to their lunches after that. Clawhauser wanted to avoid annoying him more, so he kept silent. Several minutes past without a word.

It wasn't until something caught his eye through the window that he spoke again. "Um, Bogo."

The buffalo grunted putting his sandwich down. "Can it wait? I'd like to enjoy the rest of my lunch in peace."

Clawhauser pointed towards the bakery across the street. A lioness cub was struggling to escape the baker's tight grip. The baker, a goat, was attempting to take away a treat bag she had.

Bogo cursed under his breath. So much for their peaceful lunch. He got up leaving his food there. "Come on, let's see what's going on," he said. He rolled his eyes when he saw the cheetah stuff the last bit of donut into his mouth before following.

"Let go of me!" she demanded.

The baker made another attempt to snatch the bag from her earning him a bite on the arm. He let out a pain filled baa before letting her go. The cub ran away as fast she could.

"She bit me! That little savage bit me!" he yelled.

Bogo pointed in her direction. "Time to put your speed to use," he said.

The slim feline nodded before taking off after her. He had her in his arms in less than a minute. However, keeping her there was another story. She clawed his arms while keeping a death grip on the treat bag.

"Put me down! This is mine!" she growled.

Clawhauser did his best to keep a hold of her as he walked back to Bogo and the baker. "I'm sorry, miss lion. I'm not going to hurt you. We just need to figure this out, okay?" he said gently.

As soon they were in reach Bogo grabbed the kid by the scruff and out of the cheetah's arms. He snatched the bag out of her paw causing her claws to rip a large hole in it. A pastry fell to the ground.

The cub hissed and growled as she kicked her legs in the air.

The baker took the bag from Bogo. "That brat needs a muzzle on her," he said, glaring at the cub. "The little monster bit me." He pointed at his arm where teeth marks could be seen though it was only minor bruising.

Bogo put his hoof up in a calming manner. "That won't be necessary, sir. We can handle her just fine without one," he said.

"I'm still pressing charges," the goat snapped.

The buffalo sighed, "Sir, we understand you're upset, but she's just a kid. Do you really want to be responsible for ruining her future with an assault and theft charge? You got most of your pastries back and the bruising is barely visible. We will deal with her and make sure she doesn't bother you again."

The baker thought a moment before huffing. "Fine, but if I see her around her again she's going to juvie," he relented. He shot at glare at her once more before stomping back into the bakery.

"You jerks! What am I supposed to eat now?" she shouted.

"That's your parents problem not mine," Bogo grunted. What ungrateful little brat. He just save her from going juvie and she was worried about some stupid pastries.

The lion cub glared up at him. Her eyes were misty. "My foster parents hate me. They can care less if I starve or not," she said.

Clawhauser's paw went over his heart. The poor kid. No wonder she was so possessive of the pastries. Now that he had a better look at her he could tell she was on the thin side.

"If that's the case then I'll bring you to child services and inform them of that. They'll get that fixed and taken care of," Bogo said.

The cub paled at that. "No! They'll just send me to another nasty family! Please, don't take me there! They won't care what happens to me!" she begged.

Clawhauser was about to say something when Bogo shot a glare at him. He could already tell that the cheetah was falling for her sob story. Yes, he did have some pity for her and yes, child services weren't exactly the best, but it wasn't as though they had much choice in the matter. Protocol had to be followed.

"Sorry, kid-"

"My name's Nia," she corrected.

Bogo sighed, "Sorry, Nia. But rules are rules. You're going to Child Services."


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clawhauser isn't pleased with how Bogo handled His. Now the cape buffalo has to deal with a salty cheetah.

The ride back to the precinct was uncomfortably silent. Clawhauser had already been reluctant to send Nia to child services, but when she broke down crying when they left his tender heart shattered. It felt cruel to leave her in such uncertain paws... Or hooves. 

What made it worse was Bogo so easily turning his back to the cub. He didn't even give her a second glance. How could he be so cold? The cheetah just couldn't understand it. As a result Ben refused to talk or even look at him the entire way back.

Bogo let the rookie fume. Part of being a cop was sometimes doing things you rather not do. No one ever said it would be easy. Clawhauser would just have to learn that if he wanted to continue being an officer of the law.

As for the cape buffalo's personal feelings on the matter they were a lot different than what Ben gave him credit for. He didn't like leaving her in that state, but there wasn't much he could do. It was what it was. They did what they were supposed to. He did his job.

When they arrived Clawhauser continued his silent treatment. It would last the rest of the day much to the buffalo's annoyance. The feline was being childish about all of this, but he let him sulk. It would be over by tomorrow.

\-----

Day 2

It wasn't over. Clawhauser kept his talking to a minimal and only looked at the cape buffalo when absolutely necessary. He wouldn't even sit with him when it was their lunch break.

Back at their office Bogo finally had enough. "You can't keep this up, Clawhauser. I know you're upset about yesterday, but we did what we're supposed to do. Sometimes being a cop means having to do unpleasant things."

Clawhauser just ignored him as he continued to type up reports. For a rookie he had an unusual knack for it.

Bogo grunted, "Damn it, Ben. Be reasonable about this."

The cheetah simply gave him a go to hell look. Any further efforts that day were fruitless.

\------

Day 3

The next day Bogo brought a box of donuts to work. It wasn't for him of course. He wasn't a big fan of sugar. A little bit in his tea and the occasional rare treat was enough for him. No, this was for a certain grumpy cheetah.  
The buffalo noticed Ben had a sweet tooth, so he hoped this would be a good peace offering.

He casually placed the box in front of Clawhauser before sitting down at his own desk. "I picked them up for us to snack on," he said.

Ben turned his nose at it. He knew exactly what his partner was doing and it wasn't going to work. "Not a fan," he lied, pushing them away.

Bogo grunted. He pointed at the box with exasperation. "I've seen you eat them before. That exact brand and flavor!"

With a roll of his eyes the cheetah continued to work. "You must be mistaken. I prefer muffins," he lied again.

"I haven't seen you eat a muffin once," the buffalo grumbled, crossing his arms.

"Muffins are better," Ben insisted dryly.

\-----

Day 4

This time Bogo came to work with muffins. Clawhauser wouldn't be able to complain now. The cheetah said he preferred muffins so that's what he was getting. He even got an assortment to ensure that he would like at least one.

When the two got into their cruiser Bogo opened the box that rested in between them. "Got you some muffins," he huffed, turning on the car.

Ben didn't react to them. Instead he just looked out the window and stared at nothing. Even though he preferred donuts the muffins were still appealing. His partner wasn't going to win him over so easily though.

The buffalo grunted in frustration, but didn't say anything. Maybe Ben would eat one later. His hunger would win out on his stubbornness.

However, as time passed and with lunch approaching the cheetah still wouldn't touch them. He barely even acknowledged them.

"I'm getting kind of hungry," Clawhauser said.

Bogo pointed at the box. "That's what those are for."

Ben frowned at them. He wasn't going to give the buffalo a victory not even a small one. "No, thanks. I'm on a diet," he lied. "Besides, muffins are a breakfast food."

"For heaven's sake, Ben! I know you're not dieting! And eating breakfast food at lunch has never bothered you before!" Sure, they only known each other less than two weeks, but that wasn't the point. 

Clawhauser rolled his eyes. "I decided to make some life changes. Now can we please stop at a diner?" he said.

"No! Either eat a muffin or starve. You can't be so disagreeable," Bogo replied. 

Crossing his arms Ben let out a huff. "Watch me," he muttered.

\-----

Day 5

Bogo decided food wasn't the way to win the cheetah over. Instead, he bought one of Gazelle's newest tape for him. Ben always had his walkmammal with him at the office, so it wasn't unusual to hear his music blaring through his headphones. It was Gazelle that he usually played. Bogo was actually a closet fan himself so he didn't mind too much. There was no way Ben could turn his nose at this.

However, much to his surprise Clawhauser showed no interest when given the cassette tape. All he did was give it a once over before promptly tossing it into his desk drawer. A dull thanks was all the buffalo got from him.

\-----

Day 6

Clawhauser still wasn't giving him the time of day. Nothing Bogo did could get his partner in a better mood. It was infuriating. He hadn't known the cheetah for that long so he was already out of ideas. How was he going to make him go back to his cheerful annoying self? 

Finally at his wit's end the buffalo decided to confront him. Slamming his hooves on Ben's desk he huffs. "Why are you being such a pill!? I've been bending over backwards to cheer you up, but you refuse to even crack a smile. We can't be effective partners if you're going to be salty and hostile all the time. Now tell me what is wrong and how I can fix it!"

Clawhauser crossed his arms and glared at him. "You know perfectly well why I'm mad at you," he huffed.

Bogo threw his arms up turning away from the cheetah. "You think I enjoyed leaving her there? My heart isn't made of stone." He looked back at him. "But there's nothing we can do about it. We did our jobs. We followed protocol. I honestly don't know what you want me to do about it."

"She was terrified of going to another abusive foster family and you did nothing to comfort her," Ben argued. "You didn't even take a second glance when we left."

Rubbing his face the buffalo grunts in frustration. Ben just wasn't going to let it go. "Fine!" he said, looking up at the ceiling. "I'll check on her!" He looked back at the cheetah. "Happy?"

Ben's frown didn't falter causing an exasperated sigh from Bogo. "Fine. I'll make sure she gets into a good permanent home or at the very least keep an eye on her."

Holding the same expression the cheetah gets up and walks towards the cape buffalo. Despite being taller than him Bogo backed away slightly. He didn't know Ben enough to know what he would next.

Just when he thought Ben would blow up on him his cheek was met with a soft peck leaving him stunned. 

"See? That wasn't so hard now was it?" Ben asked, smirking.

Before Bogo could snap out of it to reprimand him the cheetah had already left. His face scrunched in annoyance and with a grunt he went back to his desk.


End file.
